Separator for electric batteries



(No Model.)

H. W. BUTLER.

SEPARATOR FOR ELECTRIC BATTERIES. No. 391,229. Patented Oct. 16, 1888.

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HERBERT W. BUTLER, OF BRIXTON, COUNTY OF SURREY, ENGLAND, AS-

SIGNOR, BY MESN E ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE ELECTRICAL ACOUMULATOR COMPANY, OFNEIV YORK.

SEPARATOR FOR ELECTRIC BATTERIES.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 391,229, dated October16, 1888.

Application tiled February 15, 1889. Serial No. 201.116.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT WILLIAM BUTLER, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Brixton, in the county ofSurrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSeparators for Electric Batteries, (for which I have obtained LettersPatentin Great Britain, No. 4,781, dated March 30, 1887,) of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in the construction of electricbatteries, and is especially applicable to secondary batteries oraccumulators.

The improvement consists in providing a separator of such material andform that the plates or elements of a battery are maintained at theproper distance from each other, while allowing for the propercirculation of the elcc trolytic fluid. For this purpose I place between two adjacent plates or elements a perforated plate or sheet ofinsulating material such as cellulose or celluloid, vulcanite,porcelain, prepared card-board, or other suitable material1-havingformed on, secured to, or passed through it projections which extendoutward from the side or sides of the separator. For instance, such aseparator may be mounted in a frame or arranged in any way so thatcombined with the separator proper are projections forming distancepieces between the plates and separators. The elements of the secondarybattery in which these separators are designed for use consist of platesor supports having a series of perforations or receptacles in which isplaced an active material. It sometimes happens that theactivcmaterialin one of these perforations, owing to a heavy jolt or jar, willbecome dislodged. Such active material is a fragmentwhich cannotpossibly be larger than the perforation or receptacle in which it wasoriginally placed; but it may become lodged between two plates, and thusshort-circuit the battery. To guard against this the perforationsin theseparator are made smaller than the perforations or receptacles inthe'element of the battery,so that these fragments of active materialcannot come into contact with two elements; but if they become lodged atall it will be between the perforated separator and an adjacent ele- (Nomodel.) Patented in England March 30,1887, No. 4,781.

ment, from which no harm can arise. The projections from the surface ofthe separator are intended to furnish a space between the separator andelement, so that any fragments may fall to the bottom. Theseprojections, however, must not be sharp or pointed, and they arepreferably disk-shaped, and in diameter larger than the diameter of theperforations or receptacles in which the active mate rial is placed.Otherwise the button of active material in a perforation would be liableto be split and displaced.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 shows a plan of the separator; Fig. 2, a cross-section of theseparator in position in the cell. Fig. 8 is a detail view showing therivet and nuts or buttons used for distance-pieces. I

A is a sheet or plate-say one sixteenth inch thickpreferablyofinsulating material such as celluloid-having numerous closelyarrangedperforations,p. Buttons r are placed upon headed rivets 1), preferablyof the same material as the plate, to constitute the distance-pieces andprovide a space between the battcry'plate and the perforated separator.These perforations p must be smaller than the perforations in theelements of the battery. I prefer to make them about one-half the size.The buttons 1) or equivalent projections must be larger than theperforations in the element, so as to avoid splitting or deforming theactive material.

ficial area as the plate or element of the battcry, and should conformto such elements in shape.

By the use of separators constructed as above described, should thereoccur any scaling of the plates, such as is due to imperfectconstruction or to misuse of the battery, the scales could not come incontact with two adjacent plates or elements of active material.

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Leters Patent, is

1. In an electric battery, the combination of two or more elcments,eachconsisting of a plate or support containing perforations or receptacles,active material in said perforations or receptacles, a plate ofinsulating material hav- The plates or sheets composing the separatorshould be of about the same supering a series of, perforations, each ofwhich is elements, consisting of a plate of insulating smaller indiameter than the perforations or material having one or moreprojections the receptacles in the said element, and a series ofcontact-surfaces of which are greater than the z 5 projections upon thesurface of the insulated diameter of the perforations or receptacles in5 plate, the contact-surfaces of which are greater the said element.

than the diameter of the perforations or re- Signed at London, in thecounty of Middleceptacles in the adjacent element. sex, this 2d day ofFebruary, A. D. 1888.

2. The combination, in a battery, of an ele- HERBERT W. BUTLER.

ment consisting of a plate or support contain- Witnesses: to ingperforations or receptacles, active mate- \V. I. "WEEKS,

rial in said perforations or receptacles, acom- O. F. WATERMAN,

Both of 9 Birchin Lane, London.

plementary element, and a separator for said

